Fearless
by Hatter of Madness
Summary: Cedric Diggory doesn't know much about love, but he does know that falling in love with your best friend can definitely cause some conflict, especially when you're the Triwizard Champion. First chapter slightly AU. Rated T.
1. The Lewis Family

**~*~Fearless~*~**  
**by Hatter of Madness**

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* * *

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One thing Katie Alice knew well was fear. As a girl in the village, she was always afraid of the older girls, but admired them for being so mature. Then, when she found out she was a witch at the age of eleven, she was terrified of what magic might do to her. But she was probably the most afraid at the height of the Death Eater Rebellion when she was just a teenager.

The Rebellion was caused by an evil wizard that Katie had only heard of briefly in school. No one dared say his name, though everyone knew what it was, and that was Lord Voldemort. He was said to hate Muggles, people with no magical ability whatsoever, and people with Muggle parents, like Katie. She wasn't quite sure who Voldemort was, and certainly she didn't know what a Death Eater was. Still, she was afraid, even at the school she had come to call home.

It was in her fifth year at the school known as Hogwarts when she met her first—and only—love.

Braiden Lewis was a loudmouth, sometimes arrogant, and always flirtatious Hufflepuff (an odd combination, as Katie knew). He had been in Katie's year and was only months older than her, though they had never met before the second day of their fifth year. He had sauntered into McGonagall's class—late, as always—and the teacher had forced him to sit in the front row next to Katie, where, she hoped, some of Katie's goodness and generosity, perhaps even her punctuality, would rub off on Braiden. Instead, he was a bit too flirtatious with Katie, who was a Ravenclaw.

He quickly became obsessed with Katie Alice—Katie Alice, with her long, dirty blonde hair that she usually held back in a ponytail, her tan skin, short stature, brains, and chocolate brown eyes fixed onto a heart shaped face. She was pretty, and he decided in his fifth year that she would be his girlfriend, though it took her some convincing. "Alright, alright," she finally said around mid-November, "just nothing awkward."

By the time they finished school, they were both eighteen and decided then and there that they would be married. The main purpose of this marriage was to ensure Katie's safety, though Braiden also claimed that he knew from day one that he loved Katie with all his heart. There certainly was fear in the Lewis house, what with the rumors about Voldemort, even more so when Katie discovered she was pregnant.

Braiden worked for the Ministry of Magic for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Improper Use of Magic Department (though Braiden himself was probably guilty of several things he was supposed to be looking for); two of his closest friends at work soon became his mentors, and their names were Arthur Weasley and Amos Diggory. Braiden was closer to Arthur than Amos; his wild red hair was always in a mess and he was helping Braiden in ways he didn't think possible. He even calmed his fears about his wife's pregnancy, as did Amos.

Amos, at this time, had a son that was almost four. Though Braiden had only seen pictures—moving—on Amos's desk, he had never met this son, but knew his name was Cedric. Amos had been very frank while describing his son: "Very quiet."

Katie, on the other hand, became a Healer and started to work at St. Mungo's. The patients were very kind with her, and she reciprocated his kindness back to them. Many of the patients said that she was very motherly.

* * *

Their baby, like the Weasley's, was born in August of 1981; it was a girl. As neither parent wanted an ordinary, common name for their daughter, they named her Maddie Stephanie, but, at the last minute, changed the spelling of her second name to Stefani, leaving the pronunciation the same. This did not please Katie's mother, Joan—in fact, nothing about their child or their marriage, not to mention their sorcery ability, pleased her.

"She's a demon, Katie!" Joan hissed about the baby as she smiled up at her grandmother. "What with those vibrant green eyes, that _has_ to be a touch of…"

"Oh, hush up, Mum," Katie said, picking the baby up. "You know Bray's got green eyes, too—she looks just like him."

That was true. The baby had Braiden's features down to the bone—her face was ovular, just like his; her eyes were almond shaped and green; her nose had the exact same curves; her smile was even similar to his, though, unlike her father, she had a few wisps of blonde hair. Her skin, though, was like neither of her parents—while Katie had a glowing tan and Braiden definitely got enough sun, Maddie was not very dark, even after all the time she spent in the sun with her mother ("I know babies are supposed to be light, but she's something else," Joan had said upon seeing her for the first time).

Joan shook her head. "I'm still telling you, Katie, that this marriage is a mistake."

"No going back now, not with Mad to support," Katie argued.

"Stupid name," Joan said, once again shaking her head. "Maddie Stefani? Maddie Stefani Lewis? Do you want her to be teased?"

"You're forgetting, Mum, that people like us don't exactly have names like Eve and John," Katie said; she had heard of people with names like Regulus, Remus, and Bellatrix. 'Maddie' would not be too uncommon compared to them.

"Maddie's a stupid name for a girl," Joan defended.

"It's a worse name for a boy," Katie countered. By this point, she was wondering the purpose of her mother's visit.

"I don't even know _how_ this happened," Joan said, and it seemed to Katie she was just talking to herself. "When you got that letter eight years ago saying you were a witch, I just about fainted. When you told me that you were in danger because of some deranged—er—deranged wizard, I thought you were mental." By this time, Voldemort had been defeated by a baby by the name of Harry Potter, and Katie and Braiden considered it a great relief. "When you said that you were going to have a daughter, who in turn would more than likely be a witch, I about keeled over. When you told me her name was Maddie Stefani—_Stefani,_ with an 'f' and not a 'ph'—I about keeled over. When you told me that this man was killed by a _baby,_ that's when I knew that you were a bit off."

"Your stay is no longer welcome," Katie decided, and with that, Joan left.

* * *

Maddie was a good baby. For the most part, she was quiet and good tempered and smiled a lot. She adored her father and in time grew fond of her mother as well, but quickly a problem sprang up: Both Katie and Braiden had work, and, witch or not, they could not leave a baby by herself.

They asked Mrs. Molly Weasley, Arthur's wife, begrudgingly if she would be kind enough to watch over Maddie along with her other seven children, one of whom was a young infant as well named Ginevra. As she was very kind hearted, she agreed.

Soon, though, they realized they could not depend on Mrs. Weasley until Maddie was old enough to start school. By the time their daughter was seven months old, Katie had requested that she only worked as a Healer part time so that she could stay home and watch the baby. This was the way things were, and they no longer felt like such a burden to Molly.

They were an odd family: Braiden, tall and burly; Katie, small and skinny; and Maddie, the tiny baby. It seemed unlikely that someone like Braiden would fall for a girl like Katie.

Little did they know history happens to repeat itself in many ways.

* * *

**So how many of my readers have thought I just died? Anyone? It's been about two months since I updated Dear Artie, Count Me In Redux, about a month since I posted The Other Castaway, I don't even remember the last time I updated Saving Grace, and I haven't posted a oneshot in...well, since I joined (sorry about that, I actually do love oneshots). This was a story I attempted to write (twice) on my old account; originally, it was published under the name Four Walls, then Love's Keen Sting. In my opinion, they both sucked. I really like how this one is starting out, though. That last line, though, was crap; I was trying to foreshadow a bit at the story and...failed. xD But I'd appreciate reviews anyway? *wink, wink* Another thing: This chapter, I know, was slightly AU. If Katie and Braiden had really married during the First War, then they'd probably have to make like Lily and James and go into hiding, considering Katie was Muggle born. But I liked this approach better. So, um. Yeah.**

**-Hatter of Madness**


	2. Friends

It was September, four years after Maddie's birth. The family had grown closer, even if not bigger. Maddie was an only child and very rambunctious, the tomboy she was. Katie could no longer put her in dresses and skirts; the child would not wear them willingly. She was very articulate for a four-year-old and was gap toothed. Due to the gap in her teeth, she had a bit of a lisp, which caused her to have difficulty pronouncing some words. Katie hoped the impediment wasn't permanent, though she knew there was nothing she could do if they were.

As Molly had several children to handle, babysitting was now left with Lucy Diggory. Lucy and Katie got along well, as did their husbands. Their children had never met. Cedric, Lucy's son, always seemed to be conveniently in his bedroom or outside whenever Maddie was dropped off to be babysat. He didn't know anything about this child other than who her father was.

"Braiden Lewis, you know him," his mother had said after Katie picked up Maddie just before her fourth and Cedric's eighth birthdays. "He works with your father, they live next door."

"No, they don't," Cedric argued; there was a bit of space between the two homes. "And that doesn't mean I have to know her, does it?"

"To each his own," his mother said, resuming what she was doing as though the conversation had never occurred. "You'll change your mind in time."

Cedric still did not talk to the child after he turned eight, but one morning his mother went up to his bedroom, where he was just waking up, getting dressed. He did not want to be bothered.

"Cedric," she said; he turned suddenly. "I've got to leave the house for a bit and…" She sounded nervous.

"And?"

"Well…" She bit her lip. "I need you to watch Maddie for me."

"Mother…" Cedric started to argue.

"Cedric, _please_," Lucy said, begging. "It's only for a little while, and your father's not home, and neither one of her parents are, and Molly can't handle her...and you know how worked up she can get," she added, pleading.

Actually, Cedric did not know this, but he didn't say so. Instead, he followed his mother downstairs. In the sitting room was a small girl—blonde and wide eyed—swinging her legs and not paying attention to anything. She was wearing a skirt and a T-shirt with butterflies on it. She seemed to be searching the room.

"Ahem," Lucy said, and the wide eyed girl looked up. "Maddie, sweetie, this is Cedric, he'll be watching you for a while. Will you be alright?"

The girl grinned at Lucy and said, lisping, "Yes, I will." She seemed very grown up; Cedric frowned.

Lucy smiled at the two. "Behave," she warned, then Disapparated.

At first, it was very quiet. Cedric did not want to be there, and the other child sat watching him curiously. After a few minutes, he was aware of this and stared back at her; she grinned at him. Her cheeks, unlike the rest of her face, were very red. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Cedric was alarmed by a voice:

"You're awfully quiet."

He looked over. The girl on the sofa was still freely swinging her legs and looking at him intently, as though trying to figure him out. She blinked, and Cedric couldn't help but notice how green her eyes were. He hadn't really seen anyone with green eyes—at least, not up close. He thought that it was a nice color, especially on the small child watching him.

"I know."

"Why?"

He looked at her; she stared back. "I find it hard to open up to people."

"Oh." She sat still; she even stopped swinging her legs. Finally, she smiled shyly at him and he could feel himself trying not to smile. "You're still very quiet."

He wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him, no longer grinning, and blinked rapidly. Then she motioned him over to the sofa with her with her finger. He stood, hopping off the chair he was on, and crossed the room to her, sitting beside her and watching her.

She smiled a real smile at him; the first thing he noticed was the gap in her teeth. "Maddie," she said. "My name is Maddie."

"Cedric," he said back, extending a hand. She ignored it.

"I don't think I can say that."

He stared at her curiously. There was a momentary pause. "What?"

"I have a speech problem sometimes," she said, "I lisp." _Very mature,_ was all Cedric thought. "Your name's going to be difficult."

"So what are you going to call me?" he asked.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she said.

He frowned. "How old are you?"

"I just turned four…" She started counting on her fingers. "…three weeks ago." She held up three fingers.

He was shocked. "I see." Even _he_ wasn't as mature as her.

"My parents talk to me like I'm an adult," she said, "and so does your mother. Molly doesn't, but I like her. You think I'm annoying."

Again, he was puzzled. "No, I don't."

"Do you have any friends?"

He thought for a moment. He honestly didn't know any children his age that he could call a 'friend'; he was very antisocial. His mother said he should get to know two of Mrs. Weasley's children, who were just a bit younger than him. They were twins named Fred and George. "No," he finally decided.

"Well, then, are you my friend?"

"Well…"

She looked at him curiously. He thought it over. She seemed to be very nice, and he quite liked her company, especially since he didn't have friends.

"Sure."

Soon, the two developed a close bond and became best friends; they were hardly seen without the other. Maddie was a tomboy; she hated being around girls and wearing the dresses and skirts her mother had her wear. She had long since abandoned the outfit she had worn when she met Cedric and now dressed in jeans and sneakers. This did not make her mother happy.

* * *

"Let her be, Kates," Braiden said one night after Katie had tried to get their daughter into something more suitable.

"Bray, please," Katie said. "Do you see what she's wearing? She's _four,_ not fourteen."

"Let her have her fun," Braiden said, as he didn't care what she wore. "Besides, you know how boys are, and if she's around them…"

"I know," Katie said, looking out the window at her daughter. "And that's what worries me."

* * *

"I want to come, too!"

"You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're a _girl._"

Maddie was now five and Cedric, nine. He was being friendlier with boys and had now started to hang around with Fred and George Weasley. Occasionally, Maddie and Ginny Weasley, too, were seen together, but Maddie still considered Cedric her best friend. At that moment, Cedric, Fred, and George were off doing Merlin knows what, and Maddie had decided she'd tag along too. However, the twins did not think this was such a good idea.

"So what?" Maddie said defiantly. "Your sister's a girl, too."

"You don't see Ginny here, do you, Fred?" George asked his twin.

"Well, no, I don't, George," Fred answered.

"So you shouldn't be here either," George finished.

Maddie crossed her arms over her chest. "That isn't fair."

"Life's not fair," the twins said together.

"Ceddie, please," Maddie said (due to her lisp, she had given up on trying to say 'Cedric' and shortened his name to 'Ceddie', which she could pronounce).

"Ooh, look, Fred," George said, smiling. "Ickle Maddie-kins is running to _Ceddie _for help…"

Maddie and Cedric both flushed red. "Leave her alone," Cedric said, "she's only five."

The twins continued taunting her for a while. Cedric could tell this would end badly; she had her arms crossed over her chest and she was looking very angry, getting angrier by the second.

Things took a turn for the worst when Fred said, "Just go home…_little girl._"

At that, Maddie lunged at him.

Soon, they were on the ground punching each other and basically trying to kill each other. Cedric and George both tried to pull them off each other. They only succeeded in getting them to stand up, as they still were attacking each other. Suddenly, Fred punched Maddie full on in the mouth; both Cedric and George were speechless. Maddie coughed once and spit out two teeth on the ground. Both Cedric and George's eyes went wide and their mouths dropped open. Instead of what Cedric expected her to do (cry), Maddie made a fist and punched Fred back—_hard._

Cedric, before anything else could go wrong, grabbed her at her elbow and dragged her home. She was clearly angry.

"Maddie, get a hold of yourself," he said.

"He knocked my teeth out!" she screeched.

"And your mum won't be happy about that," he warned.

"So?" she said, crying now.

He stopped. "What's wrong?"

"You hate me!" she said, crying hard. "You hate me because I'm a girl and you hate me for wanting to be your friend and you hate me for getting my teeth knocked out and you hate me for…for not wanting to be friends with girls and I bet you hate my…"

"Stop." She stopped talking. "I _don't_ hate you, and I never could. You're my best friend."

"Then why don't you want me around when Fred and George are there?" He couldn't help but notice her lisp was much worse now that her teeth were missing.

"Because of what just happened," he said, trying to make her feel better. "Boys are rougher than girls are, and Fred and George can get…well, they can get a bit carried away, you know how they are. You're better off…"

"With girls, I know!" she said bitterly. "Mummy tells me that all the time!"

He shook his head sadly. "Go home. I'm sure your mother wants to know about this."

* * *

Katie nearly fainted when Maddie came home and her teeth were missing. She quickly told Molly and Lucy about the incident, and Molly made Fred apologize in person to Maddie for it. Still, things were not better between the two.

Maddie and Ginny soon started to become friends and Maddie and a girl named Luna Lovegood became friendly with each other as well. Luna, Ginny, and Maddie soon became as inseparable as Maddie and Cedric were. They liked to giggle and talk about anything that came to mind.

When Cedric was eleven, almost twelve, and Maddie was almost eight, he received his Hogwarts letter. She was heartbroken; her closest friend was leaving her.

"You've got Ginny and Luna now," he reminded her. "Besides, you'll be going to Hogwarts, too, in a few years. We'll see each other then." He promised to write letters to her, and she felt a bit better about the experience.

It was while he was at Hogwarts in about April of his third year that he got a letter that said:

_Dear Cedric,_

_Mummy says I need glasses, as my eyesight isn't as sharp as it was. I just know I'll look dreadful; I don't want to get them. I'd rather not be able to see._

_Yours, Maddie_

He laughed; she was being silly. He wrote back that he was sure she'd look fine and she would be able to see better; he wondered if her eyesight had anything to do with when they were climbing trees over the Christmas holiday (he had taught her when she was seven) and she fell eight feet to the ground. She laughed it off and said she was fine, but still, Cedric worried.

He got home from Hogwarts for the year and Maddie was waiting outside of her house, her mother just behind her doing yard work. He left his parents for a minute to go say hello.

"I'm telling you, I won't wear them!" Maddie said, very defiantly.

"Hello, Maddie," he greeted.

"Just _please_, Mad…"

"No!"

Katie sighed, shook her head, and went back inside. Cedric looked at her curiously. "What…"

"I'm _not_ wearing them."

Immediately, he knew what this was about. "Maddie, put them on," he said. "Do you have them with you?"

Hesitantly, she took a pair of black glasses out of her pocket and held them in her hand. "You saw them," she said, starting to put them away. Cedric glared at her. She put them on her face slowly then said, "See, dreadful, aren't I."

"You don't look bad," Cedric said truthfully; the frames seemed to brighten her eyes and made her look more mature.

"You're just saying that," she said, but he couldn't help but notice the smile she was trying to hide.

* * *

**This was kind of just a filler chapter to fill in on how Maddie and Cedric got to know each other. Lame I know. And on my profile is a link to Maddie's glasses, except her's are black and not Juicy Couture, lol, but other than that they're the same (you'll have to scroll down past my info about myself to find the link). Please review; next chapter will be a bit more interesting.**

**-Hatter of Madness**


	3. Love or Lust?

Maddie started Hogwarts at age eleven; she, like Cedric and her father, was sorted into Hufflepuff house. Soon, Cedric found that she would be better suited as a Ravenclaw; her intelligence was well beyond her years, and she was very witty as well. However, Cedric didn't mind her company in the common room occasionally; it was nice being able to spend time with her again.

Cedric was immensley popular at the school, though his four best friends were the boys he shared a dormitory with. Joseph Dawson, John Thompson, Liam Wilson, and Edward Young were Cedric's closest friends. However, Cedric felt closest to Joseph, though he didn't know why. Joseph was extremely unpopular, having only a select group of friends (all of whom were in Hufflepuff house). He had a sleeping problem and only slept about five hours a night, though if it had any effects on his mental state or physical state, it wasn't shown. Most people thought he was odd, but Cedric found him to be very trustworthy.

Maddie, on the other hand, had more close friends but wasn't very popular. She had befriended Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood before school, but in they were sorted in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, respectively. She shared a dormitory with Amber Wright, Sierra Viers, Eloise "Boo" Ross (her cousin was Liam, one of Cedric's friends), and Allison Doherty. Maddie and Allison did not get along, as, though Allison could be patient and friendly, she was also very opinionated, and wasn't afraid of showing her opinion whenever she felt needed, and Maddie felt closer to Amber, Sierra, and Boo. It was not known how Boo got her nickname, but none of the girls asked her.

One thing, though, that both Cedric and Maddie liked was Quidditch. Cedric was on the house team for Quidditch as the Seeker and he was very good at it; by the time he was in his fifth year, he was Quidditch captain. Although the position of Seeker was usually filled by a lightweight, swift player, Cedric was burly, tall, and muscular. It was in his fifth year when he came in from Quidditch practice, along with Eleanor Anderson, another fifth year girl who was on the Quidditch team; she played Keeper on the house team.

As they came into the common room, the first thing he noticed was Maddie, sitting with Boo and Sierra, all of whom were writing essays. Maddie and Boo made Sierra's olive skin look a bit out of place, as they were both startingly fair skinned, Maddie moreso than Boo. Cedric had no idea what they were talking about, but Boo and Sierra noticed his presence and started giggling. He was not sure why.

"Hello, Cedric," Maddie said, smiling and tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "Back from Quidditch practice?"

"In the rain," Eleanor griped for Cedric.

"You know that the other teams are good this year," Cedric said, "and we've got to be ready."

"I know," Eleanor said, suddenly sounding tired. "But we didn't _have _to have practice today, you know." Before Cedric could respond, she left, going to her dormitory.

"I still don't quite understand Quidditch," Sierra said, as she was a second year Muggle-born. "I mean, flying around on broomsticks trying to smack each other out of the air..."

"That's sort of the point, Sierra," Maddie said, looking over the other girl's essay. "You've misspelled 'Polyjuice' twice, and you never finished this sentence," she said, showing Sierra her mistakes.

"Do you think Snape will notice?" Sierra asked, looking worried.

"He'll notice," the other three said at the same time.

Sierra sighed, putting her things away. "I hate Potions anyway," she announced ("Don't we all?" Boo hissed to Maddie, quietly enough so that Sierra couldn't hear). "Besides, the essay's not due for another two days... I think I'm going to the library..."

"The password's changed, Sierra," Maddie reminded her, "it's _Catalonian Fireball _now."

"I knew that, we just came in," Sierra said, though it was obvious that this was not true as she left. When the portrait hole shut behind her, Cedric took her spot on the small sofa next to Maddie, dwarfing her in comparision. Though she had had a growth spurt young, she was only five foot one, and Cedric was exactly a foot taller than she was. It was not likely that she'd grow more in the future.

Cedric took in the sight of the small girl sitting next to him. She had her long, dirty blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail, with her straight bangs reaching down to her brow line. Her black Hogwarts robes made her seem smaller than she was, though she looked very mature wearing them. And for some reason, at that moment, he could see himself being more than just friends with her.

He was startled at the thought. Maddie was only _twelve!_ And he was sixteen. It wasn't right. But he realized then that maybe he _had_ fancied her, even if only a little, for a long time. He was just too stupid to realize it. He just thought that he was beginning to enjoy her company more. But suddenly, it had become hard to listen to what she was saying, because he was lost in his thoughts... Thoughts of kissing her, embracing her, holding her hand... He knew it was wrong. She was far too young for him. But he didn't dislike with the images in his head. He liked them very, very much. He wondered for a moment if she felt the same way.

He noticed when she spoke to him that her pupils dilated. He didn't understand why; the lighting in the room hadn't changed at all. Finally, though, Maddie said, "I'd better be going," grabbed her bag, and stood, along with Boo. "I'll see you later," she said, then left. It took a lot of Cedric's self control to keep himself from standing up, holding her in his arms, and kissing her. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't control his feelings...

At that moment, his four friends came in the common, talking about Merlin knew what. Immediately, he picked out Joseph, and, when the boys were in earshot, said, "Joseph, a word?" The blond boy followed Joseph to a corner of the common room.

"What is it, Cedric?" he asked.

"Let's just say that I sort of—sort of fancy a girl..." Joseph's eyebrows shot up momentarily. "Oh, stop," Cedric said, noticing. "This is the first time it's happened, honestly."

"I know," Joseph said, and it almost seemed as though he knew _who_ Cedric fancied as well.

"Well...let's just say that she's not—she's not my age, per se..." This was becoming increasingly difficult to say. "She's, well—reasonably younger..."

"I knew it," Joseph said happily. "You do fancy her!"

"What are you talking about?" Cedric said, his heart beating faster.

"Cedric, I can read you like a book," Joseph said. "You fancy Maddie. It's obvious now. Well, I suppose it's just lust..."

"It's not lust," Cedric said. "And yes, I do fancy her. I know what 'lust' is and I can tell you that that's not what I'm feeling. If it was lust I'd only care for her outer appearance." He wasn't sure where this speech was coming from, but it came flowing out before he could stop himself. "But I fancy her. Because even though I think she's pretty, I still want to be with her all the time and...and I feel like my life would be empty without her, and right now...I care about her more than I care about myself."

Joseph let that sink in, then said, "Well, have you tried talking to her? Not as a friend?"

It was then that Cedric realized why he felt so close to Joseph. It was because he exemplified the qualities of being a Hufflepuff: good natured, patient, and friendly. He always listened to Cedric (and other people, too) when he wanted to talk, and he didn't try to interrupt. "Well, I tried to, today," he said, thinking. "But I did more listening than talking."

"And why is that?"

Cedric sighed, not wanting to admit it. "Because I think she's fascinating." He thought for a minute again of the soothing sound of Maddie's voice, then said, "Are you going to say anything about the age difference?"

"If you really fancy her, why should I?" Joseph asked. Cedric fought back a smile.

"Thank you for listening," Cedric said at last.

"Talk to her," Joseph said back.

* * *

**Lame chap. e.e This is kind of just a filler chap so that I can get onto the actual story. There will be soo much more implied Caddie (Ced/Mad) in the next chapter, I promise. This is to make up for the exact gap of two months since my last update. I'm sorry it's taken so long.**

**-Hatter of Madness**


	4. First Kiss

Late that night, Cedric was still awake, trying to think of ways he could talk to Maddie about his feelings. He was too nervous to say much to her, and each different imaginary situation had about a million ways it could go wrong. He woke up the next morning a wreck and saw her multiple times throughout the day, but each time he was too nervous to go even say 'hello'.

Finally, after he and Joseph came back to the common room after Charms, his friend started to chew him out. "Why didn't you talk to her?"

"I haven't had the chance," Cedric muttered, lying quickly. Joseph glared him down. "What?"

"I remember we came out for breakfast, she said, 'Good morning, Cedric', and you barely said 'hello' to her." Cedric stared in bewilderment—how had _Joseph_ noticed something like that and Cedric hadn't? "Then we were in the Great Hall having breakfast, and she walked right by you when she was leaving for Herbology and we were going to Transfiguration. We ran right into her and she said 'sorry' and you said 'see you'. You're hurting her feelings, Ced."

Cedric stared blankly back at his friend. Thinking back, he _did_ remember seeing her that morning. She was talking to Sierra and Amber and was laughing. Then he and Joseph had walked by and she smiled at them warmly. "Good morning, Cedric," she said, brightly and happily as ever.

"Hello," he said indifferently and walked away. He remembered Joseph having a look that was mixed with shock and frustration. Then they had finished eating and stood up to go to Transfiguration, talking about how McGonagall would be angry if they were late again. As Cedric hadn't been paying much attention, he had ran right into Maddie, who immediately flushed red.

"Sorry, Cedric," she said quickly, covering up.

"See you," he mumbled in the same indifferent tone as before. Maddie had stared after him as he walked away, a hurt look on her face.

Cedric sighed. "I just don't know how to tell her," he said. "How am I supposed to tell her how much I really care about her?"

"Not by hurting her feelings!" Joseph said loudly. Luckily, there was only a handful of people in the common room; everyone else was getting ready to go down to dinner. "It's obvious, isn't it? Just _tell_ her."

"_How?_" Cedric said, getting annoyed. "I don't know what to say to her. Do you expect me to just prance up to her and say, 'Mad, I fancy you, I'm just too damn thick to figure out how to tell you'?"

"You're not thick, you're just too used to her reading your mind!" Joseph said. It amazed Cedric how much he knew about talking to girls when he was one of the most socially awkward people he knew. "Cedric," he said in a tone much gentler than the one he had been previously using. Cedric looked at him, his eyebrow arched. "She means a lot to you. I can tell. I see it in your eyes. Tell me what you're thinking about."

Cedric paused, thinking it over. "I was just…thinking…" He paused again. "That she's been my friend for eight years. And I know I shouldn't, but I _really_ care about her. I mean…I feel really happy but kind of nervous around her, even if she is four years younger than me…"

"Ced, I'm starting to think you're perfect for each other."

"What?" he asked in shock. "How so?"

"She always seems so alone," Joseph said. "She needs someone in her life. And you need someone to keep you sane. You're getting stressed, I can tell. About O.W.L.s, your classes, being a prefect, Quidditch—"

"You know Gryffindor should have won that match," Cedric said. "Harry fell off his broom because of Dementors. I caught the Snitch while he was fall—"

"Let it go," Joseph said slowly. "We're not talking about _Quidditch._ We're talking about the girl that you're lovesick for."

"_What?_" Cedric said in shock. That word—lovesick. Somehow, it sounded right…but oh, so wrong at the same time. He wasn't in _love_ with her… He just fancied her… There had to be a difference, right? Sure, she was amazing… She was pretty, intelligent, funny, nice to talk to…and she knew more about Quidditch than most people, which made for long, interesting conversations… She had mentioned how the World Cup was the following summer and she had wanted to go with her father. She had even mentioned how her parents had met because her mother was a Keeper for the Ravenclaw team when she went to Hogwarts, and her father was a Beater. They had met during the Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match fifth year, and her dad had been hit by a bludger when he noticed how pretty her mother was, with her hair fanned out behind her. Every time Maddie mentioned it, her green eyes sparkled and she smiled her beautiful, flawless smile. She was very much a tomboy—Cedric wondered if her childhood friendship with him had caused that—but small things such as romance made her happy.

"You were just thinking about her, weren't you?" Joseph asked, smirking.

"Look, there's no such thing as being 'lovesick', okay?" Cedric said, blushing slightly.

"You're a sicky, whatever you've got," Joseph said, trying not to laugh. "Come on, it's almost time for dinner."

"I'm not hungry," Cedric said quickly. Truthfully, he wasn't; his stomach was in knots so tight it'd be too difficult to try to eat.

"You have to eat _something,_" Joseph said.

"Look, I'm not hungry, okay?" Cedric said. "I'll see you aft…"

At that moment, the five Hufflepuff girls entered—Amber and Sierra were laughing about something; Allison, as usual, kept to herself; and Boo and Maddie—

Merlin, she looked so pretty, in Cedric's opinion. Her long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, leaving only her bangs in her face. She had a wide smile on her face, and was nodding her head every so often. Allison looked up, then cleared her throat. The other four looked up as well, and two of the girls giggled.

"Your knight in shining Diggory is looking at you," Amber breathed.

"Shush!" Maddie hissed back. The other three girls erupted into a fit of giggles. "Oh, come off it," she said indignantly.

The five girls tried to go to their dormitory. "I'm going to dinner," Joseph said. "Whatever you're doing…I don't want to know." He left the common room quickly, not wanting to be in his friend's way.

Cedric stepped toward the group of girls carefully. Allison, who was much more mature than the other four, towered over the group and bounded away in only a few quick strides. The other girls lingered back, still talking and laughing. Everyone else had cleared out of the common room at this point.

"Uh, Mad, can I talk to you?" Cedric asked, interrupting a conversation about Professor Binns. Cedric knew that Maddie and her friends had History of Magic with the Ravenclaws prior to dinner. This proved to be true; Maddie had an air about her that suggested that she had just talked to one of her best friends, Luna Lovegood, who was in Ravenclaw herself. Professor Binns, the History of Magic professor, also didn't seem to notice when his students talked, as he was a ghost. It was rumored that he died one night in his sleep and woke up the next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. No one knew whether or not he was aware even after all that time that he had died, but either way, he was easily the most boring teacher at Hogwarts.

Again, the girls giggled. Maddie, however, did not. She seemed rather nervous. "Can you take my things to the dormitory?" she asked Amber politely. The other girl took her book bag and practically danced away with the other two girls.

Buying some time, Cedric started a conversation about Quidditch, hardly noticing anything about his conversational partner. He was waiting until he was absolutely certain that they were alone. About three minutes later, the three girls came back from the dormitory.

"Do you plan on eating anytime soon, Maddie?" Sierra teased.

"Hmm?" Maddie said, turning to her friends. "Oh—no, I'll be up in a few minutes. You go ahead."

Boo spoke next. "Have fun talking to your—" she giggled once "—your _boyfriend._"

"Oh, shut it," Maddie said quickly, "you know he's not."

Cedric's heart melted at that. Somehow, he took it mean that he wasn't her boyfriend…and that he never would be. She hadn't said anything of the sort, but she still seemed to be leaving something out of the conversation.

"Who're you playing next, Slytherin?" she asked, trying to resume their conversation of Quidditch.

He cleared his throat once. "A-actually, Mad, I really need to talk to you."

She frowned. "Can it wait?"

"No," Cedric said seriously.

She frowned harder. "Cedric, you're scaring me," she said quietly.

"What?" he asked, suddenly afraid. "How?"

"This morning you barely said three words to me," she said, "and you didn't even seem to care if it hurt my feelings. And when we were just talking about Quidditch it seemed like something else was on your mind, and—and you said you needed to talk to me. You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry," he said, and he was. He didn't mean to scare her. She was the only thing that really, truly mattered to him. "It's just…"

"What?"

He paused, thought for a moment, then said, "There's really no easy way to do this, so I'm just going to go right out and say it." He sighed. "I—I know we're friends and everything, and I really do value our friendship, but…but I really, _really_ fancy you, Mad. Very much and for a very long time."

This did not go as well as he had hoped. She stared at him in bewilderment for a second, then shook her head, her eyes closed. "Forgive me," she said, then opened her eyes. "I must of heard wrong. Did I just hear my friend—my _best_ friend—just tell me that he fancies me very much?"

"That is correct," Cedric said, nodding slowly and sadly. This was stupid, but it was too late to change his mind now. Maddie looked so hopelessly confused.

"And is he looking at me like I wouldn't want to be his friend if I knew the truth?" Now she seemed more curious than confused. The look on her face—he couldn't lie to her. There was no way to tell her that he really didn't fancy her. He couldn't lie…not with her, when she looked so innocently curious.

"I don't know," he said, "I can't see my face."

She grinned for a moment, not meeting his gaze, then stared into his gray eyes. He stared back. _He's not really saying this to Plain Jane me, is he?_ Maddie thought. There wasn't anything special about her… Her hair never fell the way she wanted it to, her green eyes were repulsive—at least, in her grandmother's opinion they were—and her pallor was ghostlike. There was no way that Cedric, tall, handsome, intelligent, strong, muscular Cedric _fancied_ her.

"You're being honest with me?" she asked, staring at him, into him.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Mad," he said as calmly as he could with her looking at him. "I told you earlier I thought you were pretty. I told you before that you were the only person I could trust wholeheartedly. For Merlin's sake, I _fidget_ around you. How much more obvious could I be?" He wasn't angry with her, just curious.

"You hardly talk to me," she said, "at least, you haven't lately." She continued to stare at him. It appeared he was waiting for her to say something… It was as though he was living on her every word. There was still no way that any of this was real. She had been secretly watching Cedric for weeks, hoping she'd catch even the slightest sign of the feelings she had being reciprocated. Her eyes even dilated in his presence, and she once had cried herself to sleep at the knowledge that, because of their age difference and Cedric's popularity, they could never be together.

That was how the girls found out. They had heard her sobs and heard her muttering his name in her slumber. "Either you were having a nightmare that your friend was being murdered," Boo teased the following morning, "or you're _totally_ in love with him."

"I'm not in love with anybody," was the saucy reply. But later she confessed to Ginny…who told Luna…who told Sierra…who told Boo…who told Amber…who told Allison that Maddie had deep, deep feelings for her best friend. After Maddie had made them sworn they wouldn't tell anyone, she confessed that she did care about him.

And now, it seemed, so did he about her.

"I'm sorry," he said, ashamed at his behavior. "I'm _so_ sorry, I was…" He paused. "I've never had these sort of feelings about anyone before, Mad. I don't know what I'm supposed to be saying or doing right now. I'm just kind of…" He stopped again. "I completely understand if you don't feel the same way. And if you can't look at me the same way again, I know why and I'll understand…"

"Would you shut up and let me talk?" Maddie said. Cedric suddenly realized that she had been saying 'Cedric' at three-second intervals throughout his speech from the moment he said 'Mad'.

"Sorry," he said again.

"I was asking if you were honestly telling me this because that's what I've been wanting to say to you for months now," she admitted, a bit red in the face. "But you and I both know we can't be together…"

"Why not?" Cedric blurted out. This all seemed like a sick twisted dream… At any moment, he could imagine all of their friends coming in and telling him they were pulling some cruel joke on him and Maddie would be laughing… But she seemed sincere, and he had known her long enough to tell that she was being completely serious with him.

"You and I both know how that would work out, Cedric," she said. "You're popular. All of the girls in this school are falling all over you."

"They are?" Cedric said, shocked.

"Yes, they are," she said. "Your friends, at least, they wouldn't understand."

"So let's not tell them."

She raised her eyebrows.

He didn't even know where the words had come from. He was so confused about how he felt about her, the girl he had called his friend for eight years, that he was desperate to do anything to call her 'his', even if for a moment. "We can keep it a secret, if it'd make you feel better. Than we can tell people when we're ready. Would that work?"

She stared at him in confusion, then slowly smiled. "You're an idiot," she said, shaking her head slowly.

He didn't know what came over him, but he leaned down, one of his hands under her chin, the other one brushing hair out of her face. Before he was able to stop himself, he was kissing her, his eyes closed. The butterflies in his stomach had never been as bad as they were at that moment. She was kissing him back, and he had never felt happier in his entire life. He didn't want to leave her, but he pulled himself away at last.

She stared at him in wonder. "Did you just…?"

He nodded. "Did you not…?"

"Do you promise me that we can still be friends, even if this doesn't work out between us?" she asked, almost afraid.

He didn't like the sound of her voice when she was afraid. He held her in his arms, then whispered, "I promise." He kissed her cheek again, and it felt as though he was holding the whole world in his arms.

It was his first kiss.

* * *

**La di da. Sucky ending. I won't randomly blurb about my life cause no one cares. o_e Bleh blehhh. NOW I CAN GET MOVING WITH ACTUAL PLOT YESYESYESYESYESYES**

**-Hatter of Madness**


	5. The Truth Comes Out

Joseph had hardly been sympathetic when Cedric shared his plans to keep the relationship a secret.

"Do you care about Maddie or not?" he had asked roughly.

"W-what?" Cedric said, anger rising. "Of course I do! You know that!"

"So why should you have anything to hide?"

"Because, I know you have a pretty good idea of what'll happen if anyone knows, particularly if our friends know. They already look down on her, do you know what would happen if I told them? I don't want her hurt."

"So you're not telling anyone because you're afraid of losing your friends?" Joseph asked. He was getting angrier by the second. He liked Cedric. He was a good person. And seeing him so happy being in a relationship meant a lot to him. He had seen how close the two friends were before the relationship. And Cedric had come to him with a lot of problems. Now, it seemed, he was becoming capable of handling at least some problems on his own.

"That's not at _all_ what I meant," Cedric said. "I mean, she's really young—she's four years younger than me. What do you think people'll think if they see us...holding hands or—or kissing or something? They're either going to think we're the sweetest couple in the world or they'll be disgusted. I can't let that happen to her. She's still my best friend. I wouldn't want people to be doing that to my best friend. Never."

Joseph was obviously still disgusted at this, but said nothing. He could tell that Cedric _did_ care...but still, he thought that keeping it a secret was dangerous and stupid. "Well..." He paused. "It's almost time for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Cedric grinned. Because of Professor Lupin, Defense Against the Dark Arts was one of his favourite classes. He actually knew the subject matter, and he knew it well. Cedric thought he had learned more in his class that year than he had in any of his other classes in the time he'd been at Hogwarts. "The one decent Defense teacher we've had."

* * *

After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Cedric, Joseph, and their friends returned to the common room. Their lesson that day had been long and eventful, but enjoyable nevertheless. It was difficult to hate a lesson from Professor Lupin, because he was so unexpected: You never knew what he was going to teach them or what he'd do next.

"I hope he's here next year," Liam said. "We've actually learned something."

"Yeah, unlike Lockhart last year, the nutter," Edward agreed. "Did you hear what happened in one of his lessons with the second years last year? He released Cornish Pixies in the classroom."

"And how is that bad?" Liam argued.

"Well, have you ever seen a Cornish Pixie? They're like..."

Cedric had stopped paying attention when he noticed Maddie and her friends sitting by the fire. He still thought she was very grown-up for a twelve-year-old—at least, her maturity was far beyond those of her friends'. "I'll see you later," he muttered to his friends, who were too busy discussing pixies to really notice that he had left.

He walked over to her; she was in the middle of a sentence about their Herbology lesson. "It's not just for Herbology," she was saying to Sierra, who was Muggle born and therefore did not understand a lot about what was being taught at the school. "Mum uses it all the time at—"

"Can I talk to you?" Cedric asked politely. The other girls gave a predictable giggle.

Maddie stood to her full height and followed him. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, I-I've just been thinking and, well..." There was no easy way for him to say it. "I really, really want to tell your parents about this. About us."

She looked at him for a moment in silence, then said, "Oh, uh...okay, sure. When?" She sounded oddly skeptical.

He ignored this. "Christmas holidays?"

"Can't I just write a—"

"I think it'd be better to, uh...tell them in person," he said, wishing he had asked his _real_ question. He had wanted to ask her what she would think about telling other people, but somehow, the thought of people harassing her hadn't left his mind, and he decided against the question.

"So they can murder me in person?" she asked, smiling.

"Well, when you put it like that..." he said, smiling back. Checking to make sure no one would see them, he bent down and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Mad," he said.

"Bye," she said, still smiling, then went and rejoined her friends. "You're not still discussing that spell, are you?" she asked as she sat down again, and Cedric watched her in awe. She really was pretty, even that young. He just hoped that nothing would go wrong with what they were doing.

* * *

The two houses, the Diggory residence and the Lewis one, were a bit distanced. However, they were close enough so that the children of each family could write to each other on a piece of parchment to talk to one another without having to be face to face. They talked this way throughout the holidays.

Once, Amos, Cedric's father, had walked into his bedroom as he was writing his reply to Maddie. "Who are you writing to?" he asked, then observed all the pieces of parchment in the garbage bin. "And what's all this?"

"Oh, um..." He was trying to find a way to say her name with it seeming completely normal. "You know. Maddie and I—we've been—corresponding."

Amos stared at his son. "You know, most people actually _send_ each other letters." He paused. "You've been acting really strange lately, Ced."

"I'm fine," Cedric lied. The truth was, he cared so much for Maddie that it was hard to think straight at times.

"Well, have fun talking to your girlfriend," Amos teased, not fully believing that all was well with his son.

"She's not my girlfriend," Cedric lied again. As soon as the door shut, he felt such remorse for not saying anything. He glanced back at the window. Maddie was holding a piece of parchment that said 'Everything okay?'. Obviously, she had seen what happened.

He quickly wrote back 'Perfect', though he didn't truly feel that way.

* * *

It was Christmas afternoon. Cedric knew fully well that Maddie still hadn't said anything to her parents, Katie and Braiden. They were fairly nice people; surely _they'd_ understand...

But he couldn't bring himself to say anything to his parents. He knew what his dad, Amos, would think. He'd either think Cedric was joking, or that everything was far worse than what Cedric was saying, or that Maddie was too young...

And after he had said "she's not my girlfriend" (why he hadn't said anything then, he didn't know), it would seem a bit strange for him to say that they really _were_ in a relationship. He wasn't sure why he hadn't said anything then, and he still didn't have the courage to say anything.

Finally, he put on a jacket quickly and walked to her house. It was cold; fresh snow was falling. He knocked twice, his knuckles stinging from the feel of the door. It, too, was practically frozen. He could hear people talking inside. "Maddie, get the door," came Katie's voice. Just hearing her name sent chills down his spine...or maybe it was the falling snow still...no, it _had_ to be her name...

She opened the door, wearing jeans and a tight jacket. Cedric almost kissed her immediately, but fought against it. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Cedric," she said in surprise. "Uh...hi," she finally said.

"Look, Mad, I know this is probably a bad time," he said, "but I know that you still haven't mentioned anything to your parents. Is that correct?"

She stared at him for a moment, but then said, "Uh...no, I haven't. Why...?"

He stepped closer. "Would it make it easier if I told them?" he asked. He thought that if he said something, then maybe, just maybe, talking to his own father would make it easier. He was probably insane to think it; just suggesting the idea made his heart rate increase.

She pulled the door open wider, hesitantly. "If you want, I guess," she mumbled. She seemed frightened.

"Hey," he whispered, closing the door quickly once he was inside and leaning in close to her. "Even if they murder you, you know I'll still care about you, right?"

"Thanks," she said sarcastically at his use of the word 'murder'.

"You know what I mean," he said, then followed her into the sitting room as she called, "Mum—Dad—"

"Something wrong?" her dad called back, just as she entered with Cedric close behind. "Cedric," Braiden said kindly. "Nice to see you again."

"Good to see you," he said back, still afraid of what he was about to do. _For her,_ he reminded himself.

"How's school?"

"Fine." The one-word answer alarmed Braiden and Katie, who had just entered the room. "Listen, uh...there's something I came here to talk about..."

"What he means is," Maddie interjected, "there's something _we_ need to talk about. The four of us." She hoped her parents would get the hint. She was still afraid of what her parents' responses would be—especially her father, who still thought of her as a seven-year-old girl.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Braiden said. Katie took a seat beside her husband.

"Well, uh," Cedric said, taking over for the girl he was standing next to. "You see, sir, the thing is...I really care about your daughter. Really, I do, she's—she's one of my best friends, and, uh, well...we've been...talking, and...well...what I mean to say is..." He sighed; there was no easy way to do this. He had to just be open about it. "Well, we've been, sort of...seeing each other for a month and a half now..."

"'Seeing'?" Braiden asked; Katie, it seemed, understood what Cedric meant exactly and did not appear happy. "What the hell are you talking about?" he said again.

"We've been..._dating_ each other for a month and a half."

The response was predictable but somehow, Cedric was completely shocked at what happened. At one moment, Braiden had been reading a newspaper and had given the two his complete attention. The next second, he grabbed the first thing he could his hands on—a cauldron sitting on the table; it was Katie's, as she was a Healer—and hurled it at Cedric, who quickly moved out of the way, dragging Maddie along with him. "What the hell?" he said as it smashed into the wall and shattered. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

"That's what I should be asking _you,_" Braiden said, standing to his full height. "Get your _twisted, perverted_ hands off my daughter _now!_"

Cedric put his hands up as though being arrested then said, "There, I'm not touching her, _happy?_" Katie and Maddie observed the scene quietly. Maddie looked horrorstruck.

"No, I'm not," Braiden said, then started whacking Cedric with the _Daily Prophet_. "_Stay the hell away from her._"

"You're not my father!" Cedric said, grabbing the newspaper, then instantly regretted what he said.

"No?" Braiden asked, fearfully calm. "Well I _know_ your father, Cedric. I know him well. We work together. He's next door. I can go talk to him and see what he says. I have the funny feeling he'd agree with me. And you're being awfully immature, aren't you?"

"Dad, stop it!" Maddie said.

"Stay out of this, young lady," Braiden said, not looking away from Cedric. He did not look happy. "How do I know I can trust you with her if you're four years older than her? How can I trust _anyone_ with her?"

"Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore," she said, trying to make her father keep his cool.

"No," he said, still angry, "but you're not an adult either, are you? You don't know what you're doing young lady."

"Dad, I can take of myself just fine," she argued. Cedric wished she hadn't said anything; her father was appearing to grow angrier by the second, and her mother didn't do anything to stop his behavior.

He pointed at the stairs. "Upstairs," he ordered. "We'll talk about this later, young lady." Each of the three times Braiden had called her 'young lady', she appeared to be disgusted by the name. "As for _you,_" he said, going to Cedric, "you no good, disgusting, sick, perverted pedophile—"

"Don't call him that!" Maddie called, who was halfway up the stairs and had wheeled around.

Her dad ignored her. "_Get the hell out of my house._"

Cedric started to leave—he couldn't believe what had just happened; Braiden had always been so nice to him—as Braiden went into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Katie stood, saying, "Cedric, wait, could I talk to you for a moment?" He stopped, his hand halfway out to turn the doorknob. He waited for her to say something. "Cedric," she said again. "Your parents don't know any of this, do they?"

He paused, making sure Maddie wasn't listening. "No, they don't," he admitted.

Katie nodded. "Well," she said. "You better go."

* * *

Maddie was in her room. She had cried a little bit out of frustration, but now she had calmed down a bit. She knew it was better that they knew, but Dad had gotten really angry at Cedric. Well, it was as much Cedric's fault as it was hers.

She sat in her room, wanting to cry again. This was a time when she wanted Cedric to be there, holding her close to him and telling her everything was going to end up okay, that she was going to be alright and that he cared about her. But if her father got his way, he would never do that for her. And just as she was starting to get close to him...becoming really attached to him...this happened...

"Maddie, darling," her mother called. At least she still cared about her... "Please come down here." Maddie sighed, hopping off her bed and climbing down the stairs. She was afraid...but when she reached the bottom of the stairs, her father looked more relaxed than he had previously. "Sweetheart, we wanted to talk to you about this...relationship."

She knew it was coming. "Alright."

"I'm sorry I yelled earlier, sweetheart," her dad said, rubbing his temples. "But you should know that I don't think you're being very smart right now. Cedric...well, I know him, Mad. He's a bit...ambitious, you know that... I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"What are you talking about?" she said. 'Ambitious' was not _her_ first choice for a word to describe Cedric. It just didn't sound right to her...not when it came to him.

"Well, sweetheart," her dad said—this was a bit of an improvement from 'young lady', she had to admit. "It's just that...he's older than you. I just don't want you to think that he's the only one for you. He's telling you he loves you but in the future, he won't even respond when he hears your name. I don't want to see that happening to you."

"He hasn't told me he loves me," she said fearfully.

"What a shock," her father mentioned.

"What your father's trying to say," Katie said, trying to recover the conversation, "is that we want you to be careful."

"Does that mean...?" she asked.

"Yes, Mad," her dad said. "You and Cedric may continue dating."

* * *

**Sucky chap like woo~! I'm so excited (not about the sucky chap), today is Sunday and on Thursday my school play _Little Shop of Horrors _opens. I'm so happy, I don't have a very big part but I'm excited to be in drama and everything and getting involved in school. My friend and I are two of three freshman in the entire play (outof like twenty-five I think?). There's only like five sophomores, too, the rest are juniors and seniors, so I feel very happy to get a part! I actually have been told I have a good singing voice but I'm playing a vine on the plant in the musical (if you're hopelessly confused, please look up _Little Shop of Horrors_). I sing parts of the finale. I'm so excited I just can't wait amagawd. There's going to be four performances (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday—all at 7:00 PM, then once at 2:00 PM on Saturday). I'm going to see if I can get my mom to record at least my scenes and my sister's scenes and I'll see about putting them on YouTube if anyone's interested. Anyway, please review.**

**-Hatter of Madness**


	6. Quidditch

Cedric's relationship with Maddie went smoothly following her parents finding out. Fortunately, for Cedric, they never let anything slip to either one of his parents about them seeing one another. He knew he should have just admitted to his dad that night that he was in a relationship with Maddie, but he couldn't bring himself to do it even after.

They had had their share of fights, but in the end, they patched everything up; following these spats, it seemed as though they had grown closer. Joseph began to feel like a third wheel, since he was usually included in what the two did together.

It was the summer between Cedric's fifth and sixth year of Hogwarts. He was sitting at the kitchen table, looking over the supply of books he would need for Hogwarts, when his father burst into the room.

"Dad…?" he asked in shock. His father smiled back. "Is something…?"

His dad held up two tickets for something. _The Quidditch World Cup_.

"We—we're going?" Cedric stammered.

"The twenty-second of August," his dad said back.

Cedric jumped out of his seat, unable to believe it. The Quidditch World Cup was between Ireland and Bulgaria. Of course, Bulgaria had Viktor Krum, but the Irish team was pretty good, too. And his dad had always been a fan of the Irish team since his own family was from Ireland. Still, it seemed surreal staring at the tickets. He couldn't believe they were _actually_ going…

"How did you…?" he started.

"Pulled a few strings at the office," his dad said coolly, still smiling. "Arthur's got tickets for him and his kids, too, and Braiden and Katie are taking Maddie as an early birthday present."

Cedric almost gasped; somehow, he had almost forgotten that Maddie's birthday was coming up. He caught himself at the last second. The day of the Cup was the day before Maddie's thirteenth birthday.

Good Merlin, what was he going to do for her birthday? He honestly had no idea; now that they were dating, he was supposed to get her something, wasn't he? But that was the problem: They were dating, so he _had_ to get her something, but he didn't know what to get a girl he was dating for her birthday. And he knew if he asked she wouldn't tell him anything, so that was no use. He couldn't ask his mother, either, because she'd ask who it was for, and he had never usually bothered on doing anything for her birthday in the past. At the same time, he couldn't ask his father either, because he couldn't ask "what do you get a girl you're dating for her birthday" without actually dating someone…which, as far as his dad knew, he wasn't.

He snapped back to reality. "Thanks, Dad!" he said.

"You're welcome," his father replied, placing the tickets on the table.

"Mum's not going?"

"She's never really been one for Quidditch games," his dad replied.

"Probably why it took you so long to convince her to go out with you?" Cedric joked.

"It's not my fault I was good at Quidditch in school," his father countered, no longer smiling.

"I'm sure it wasn't."

Cedric tried to leave the kitchen, but his dad stopped him. "Ced…you're almost seventeen now."

"Yeah? And?" He was a bit afraid to find out what this meant.

"Well…you just never talk about girls, is all," his dad said, shrugging. "I just thought…by your age…you should have talked to a female before."

"What are you trying to say, Dad?"

"I don't mean it like that!" his dad said immediately. "It's just…"

"I know what you meant," Cedric said, his heart pounding in his chest. He should have admitted it then and there. He should have turned to his father and just admitted that he was in a relationship with his best friend…his best friend in the whole world, Maddie Lewis, and that he was so crazy about her he couldn't think straight. But he didn't…he didn't admit it, and, at that rate, he was afraid he never would.

Once he got to his room, he took out a piece of parchment and scribbled a quick note to Joseph, which read:

_Dad got tickets to the World Cup. Don't know what to get Maddie for her birthday. Advice? Cedric._

* * *

It felt as though Cedric had hardly slept at all when his dad burst into his bedroom the morning of the match. "Time to get up," he said, sounding as though he had slept for ages.

Cedric rolled over. "Wha tie es et?" Cedric said, his words slurred from exhaustion.

"Two!" his father said happily.

Cedric sat up. "In the _morning?_"

"Well, you can't Apparate yet, you haven't taken the test," his father reminded, making the dim light in the room brighter with a flick of his wand. "Braiden Lewis was up ages ago, no complaining… Better wear a jacket…" And with that, he left the room.

Cedric shut his eyes for a moment then climbed out of bed. It was far too early to be awake. Looking out his window, he could see Mr. Lewis moving about in the upstairs portion of his house. If he strained enough, he could make out Maddie's sleeping figure in her bed. He felt a pang of jealousy that she was still asleep, though he knew it couldn't be for much longer. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he grabbed a pair of jeans, a green shirt, an olive green sweater vest, and a matching green jacket (he loved the color green, as it reminded him of Maddie's eyes)out of his dresser. He stared at the fabric of the jacket a moment… It had been Maddie's Christmas present to him. She had bought it with her own money. He had felt a bit bad for buying her a book to read, since she liked to read, but she hadn't minded in the least bit.

He went downstairs sleepily, stepping into shoes as he went. He was fully exhausted. Somehow, his mother was as awake and chipper as his father. "Morning, Cedric," she said.

"If you could call it that," Cedric said in response.

"Someone didn't get his beauty sleep, I see," she said, putting food on the table in front of him. "Eat up." In her voice, there was a hint of an Italian accent; Lucy, Cedric's mother, was originally a Russo before she was married, and both of her parents were Italian, though they had moved to England when she was young. However, she never lost some parts her Italian accent, as both of her parents had strong accents. She even spoke some Italian as well.

"You'll be wide awake once we get started," his father assured, reading the paper and eating toast. Cedric's father's Irish accent was much more pronounced. Sometimes Cedric wondered how he sounded British when both of his parents had strong dialects.

"Whatever," he mumbled; he was known to have an attitude when tired.

After they had finished eating and getting everything together that they would need, it was almost four.

"Not that bad, was it?" Amos said.

Cedric didn't reply.

"Behave yourselves," Lucy said, cleaning up the kitchen as her son and husband left.

"Dad, how exactly are we going to _get_ to the World Cup?" Cedric asked. Looking back at the two houses belonging to his family and Maddie's, he could see Katie in her daughter's bedroom waking her up. He pushed all thoughts of sleep from his mind.

"What? Oh, we're meeting Arthur…he has a Portkey, you see…"

However, after walking for about an hour, it was obvious to Cedric that they weren't going to the Burrow. They arrived on a hill. Suddenly, his dad dropped to his knees.

"Dad…?"

"What do you suppose the Portkey looks like?" his dad asked, searching.

"Uh…" He had never seen a Portkey in his life, though he knew what it was. It was a device used to transport wizards from one place to another. All you had to do was touch the Portkey and it would take you there.

"Oh—I think I found it!" his father said a few minutes later, as they heard voices on the hill; that had to be Arthur Weasley and his children. "Over here, Arthur!" he called. "Over here, son, we've got it."

Cedric, still tired beyond belief, walked with his father to where the voices where. "Amos!" said a balding man that Cedric recognized as Arthur Weasley. What little hair he had left was flaming red. He turned to his children, four redheaded teenagers and two other kids that Cedric recognized from school. All of them were in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts. "This is Amos Diggory, everyone," Arthur said, turning to his children as he shook Amos's hand. "And this strapping young lad must be Cedric?" he asked Amos, then shaking Cedric's hand.

"How do you do?" he asked, trying his hardest to be polite, though he was embarrassed of the attention. He could feel the stares of one of the girls, one he didn't recognize as a Weasley.

"Long walk, Amos?" Arthur said, finally directing his attention elsewhere.

"Had to get up at two!" Amos said, though he didn't sound like he cared too much. "Didn't we, Ced?" The attention was back on him again. Just what he needed when the six children all seemed to be angry with him…he supposed they remembered the Quidditch match from last school year, Gryffindor against Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff had won because Harry Potter had fallen off his broom due to Dementors and Cedric caught the Snitch in that time. He had offered a rematch, but Oliver Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor team, had declined. "I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still…not complaining…Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons—and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy…" His father finally seemed to take notice off how many children were actually with Arthur. "All these yours, Arthur?"

"Oh, no, only the redheads," Mr. Weasley said, which Cedric thought should have been obvious to his father. "You remember Fred and George, Ron, and Ginny, don't you?"

"Yes, of course," Amos said, "how did I forget?"

"And this is Hermione, a friend of Ron's from school…and Harry, another friend…"

"Merlin's beard," Amos whispered. "Harry _Potter?_"

_Oh great,_ Cedric thought.

"Er—yeah," Harry said, sounding as uncomfortable as Cedric felt. He must have been used to people doing that to him upon meeting him…still, that didn't make it any better. Cedric hoped beyond hope his father wouldn't mention Quidditch…unless it was about the Cup…

"Ced's talked all about you, of course," his dad said. "Told us all about playing against you last year…"

_Thanks, Dad._

"I said to him, I said—Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will… You beat Harry Potter!"

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," Cedric muttered, trying to make it right. He could tell everyone was starting to hate him more and more by the second. _Shut. _Up, he thought desperately, but his dad didn't seem to get the message. "I told you…it was an accident…"

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman…but the best man won, I'm sure Harry's say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"

"Dad!" Cedric said; some of his irritability could be due to his lack of sleep, but this time, his father had gone too far. Lucy had pointed out time and time again that her husband was proud of their son, and that he had interesting ways of showing it…but if Amos kept it up, Cedric was going to be the most hated boy at the World Cup. His father flashed him a smile that said "sorry" all over it…as if he _could_ actually be sorry.

Mr. Weasley looked at his watch. "Must be nearly time," he said, and Cedric was thankful for the change in the conversation. _Anything_ to get the focus off of him… "Do you know whether we're waiting for anymore, Amos?"

"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already, the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets, and I'm not sure how the Lewises are getting there," he said. _Safely, I hope,_ Cedric caught himself thinking. "There aren't any more of us in this area, are there?"

"Not that I know of," Arthur said, looking around as though to see more people coming. "Yes, it's a minute off… We'd better get ready…" He then turned to Harry and the girl called Hermione to explain how to use a Portkey.

Amos held out the Portkey, which was an old boot, and Cedric placed two fingers to it. He had never travelled by Portkey before…

"Three…two…one…" Arthur said.

And suddenly, it felt as though he was being jerked forward by something hooked onto his stomach. They all were moving through the air, it seemed, going Merlin knew where…

Just as suddenly as the sensation came over him, he felt his feet touch the ground again and struggled to stay up. His father and Arthur, too, were standing, but everyone else had fallen to the ground. Harry fell down directly in front of him, so he walked over and extended his hand to the younger boy.

Harry stared for a second, then accepted Cedric's help. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Cedric said back.

"Come along, Ced," his father called.

He caught up to his dad, who was walking alongside Arthur. The two fathers said their good-byes, then they went their own separate ways.

* * *

**Ohai there. Lamest ending to a chap ever? Yes, I quite agree MMMM HMMMM. I just loved Amos when he woke up Cedric lol ("Two!"). So I got straight A's this semester, apart from geometry, I don't know about that class yet. In case you don't remember geometry was my one class of struggle. All of my other classes were relatively easy. I'm so glad I'm taking algebra next year. :'D So anyway I'm sorry that I've abandoned this story since spring break o.o It's now summer of 2011, yay. So glad I'm not taking P.E. and geometry next year. I've already said geometry but now I'm mentioning P.E. yayay. I'm so sad that Harry Potter's almost over D: Oh and this summer I'm going to CAMP? DA FACK. I also have two summer assignments to complete. I have to read _The Lord of the Flies_ and do some assignment on (but I lost the assignment sheet oopsies) and I also have to do like five assignments for European History n.n Yeah I have three maps of Europe to complete (one of countries, another of cities, and one of like geographic things like mountains and junk?) and two reading logs. Well it's A.P., after all. Anyway. I'm trying to get this done on top of camp, homework, swimming, and, of course, my own novel :D Yeah I'm writing a book called _Howl_. Good hopefully? Review please.**

-Hatter of Madness 


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